Death Notifications

[DwayneEMTP]

Not if they're less than 20 feet away in the other room and it takes a full day for VSU ... I mean working a code etc etc ... EMS doesn't usually go to doors making notification if that's what you thought I meant.

Wow, what have you gotten, like a hundred popularity points in the last week or so? Pretty amazing when you consider that some of our most popular posters haven't managed to do so in years, with thousands of posts. Congratulations.

Could the person that felt that this post was was worthy of extra credit please raise their hand? I'd be interested to know what criteria you use when doing so...Just curious...

Dwayne

Edited for grammar. No contextual changes made.

Edited March 14, 2010 by DwayneEMTP

[tcripp]

I have to admit that I accidentally gave a point when I was trying to hit the "reply" button. Maybe I'm not the only one?

[Siffaliss]

Didn't mean anything by the question. I live in a small town that has a VSU that responds within 30 minutes of dispatch. Now I know for certain that the EMS crew in this area does their own death notification on scene as needed. I was just curious if others would rather have the VSU intervene on their behalf.

I have been with those who have died, including several of my own family members. I haven't, though, been the one to notify a loved one of the death. You posted a good question and I'm trying to get perspective on the subject.

Dwayne - I like your input.

I guess it's different everywhere. I've worked small town where VSU was very close at hand, and I currently work in a large urban area where it takes a bit longer to mobilize VSU. If we are called for an unconscious/man down sort of thing and the person hasn't been seen in a couple or few days and we find them, if family is on scene and I'm their first contact, yes I will tell them. If family is nowhere to be found, the police end up making notification when family is contacted.

The first notification I ever made was to someone who was soon after charged with the murder of their mother. It was not my place to give my opinion of them when they asked if there was anything we could do for her. I removed the whole homicide aspect, put myself in the position of someone who was about to learn of their mother's death and said what I needed to say.

[DwayneEMTP]

I have to admit that I accidentally gave a point when I was trying to hit the "reply" button. Maybe I'm not the only one?

That's ok girl.. :-) Sometimes things like that happen, and I'm certainly not trying to judge how people give merit to other's ideas. I've just never seen anyone get so many points so quickly without something hinky going on so was trying to see if other's had criteria for judging such posts that I was missing.

Thanks for participating! It's great to have you here.

Dwayne

[Siffaliss]

Wow, what have you gotten, like a hundred popularity points in the last week or so? Pretty amazing when you consider that some of our most popular posters haven't managed to do so in years, with thousands of posts. Congratulations.

No idea. It was in Jan/Feb, I wasn't here for a few days, opened up the site and was sitting at 70 something. 2 days later it was over 100. I can't find any of my posts with that many +'s. I wouldn't complain if the whole ratings thing was dropped.

[Richard B the EMT]

This string just reminded me of a call I once did, prior to starting with the Municipal EMS.

I responded on a call with my Volunteer Ambulance Corps, to a man who was dead. We had the entire run of signs; dependent lividity, cold to the touch, rigor had set in, basic breathless and pulseless. We started CPR, anyway, as back then, under local protocol, vollies were not allowed to "pronounce". We requested municipal EMS Paramedics, who, after arrival, and running an asystoly "strip", were allowed to "pronounce", under the local protocols.

One adult family member refused to accept it. We called across the street to the local church, and the priest delivered the "last rites", and my team, and the Paramedics started taking up. Just as we left, the family member was asking his newly widowed mother to call 9-1-1, to "get a different crew", and perhaps a favorable result.

[tniuqs]

I have to admit that I accidentally gave a point when I was trying to hit the "reply" button. Maybe I'm not the only one?

Shucks no ones perfect .... so I fixed it and gave Sniffaliss a neg ... my bad ?

On topic ... there is no easy way to deal with the end of a life and providing that information to family.

I typically use the phrase: I am very sorry there is nothing more that we can do.

[Richard B the EMT]

I typically use the phrase: I am very sorry there is nothing more that we can do.

I think everyone here uses variants on that one to friends and family on the scene. Also, I am quite happy that I don't have to knock on someone's door to give a cold advisement to someone not on the scene at the time of the pronouncement or termination of resuscitation attempts.

[spenac]

I have to admit that I accidentally gave a point when I was trying to hit the "reply" button. Maybe I'm not the only one?

No the rare accident does not explain it. Sadly we have had some that have even targeted individuals giving a negative no matter what they say. So don't worry about the mistake we might forgive you that or the pack mentality could lead to us all turning on you.

[tcripp]

Also, I am quite happy that I don't have to knock on someone's door to give a cold advisement to someone not on the scene at the time of the pronouncement or termination of resuscitation attempts.

I'm in the midst of a class so that I can become one of "those" people. It is my desire that by having to do it one off, it will help me when I have to on the truck after having worked on the patient myself. We'll have to wait and see though.